Rushen v. Spain
464 U.S. 114 · Decided December 12, 1983 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Rushen v. Spain was decided on December 12, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, contact with jurors” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 464 U.S. 114 · 104 S. Ct. 453 · 78 L. Ed. 2d 267 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 11
- Docket number
- 82-2083
- Decided
- December 12, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, contact with jurors
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Harmless error
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Rushen, Director, California Department of Corrections, et al. v. Spain
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-011, docket 1983-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, contact with jurors”
- Parker v. Gladden
- Turner v. Louisiana
- Gold v. United States
- Remmer v. United States
- Remmer v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Harmless error
- United States v. Hasting
- Delaware v. Van Arsdall
- Rose v. Clark
- Moore v. United States
- Milton v. Wainwright
- Harrington v. California
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error